Store-service buffer



(No Model.) I V L. G. POWERS.

STORE SERVICE. BUFFER. v No. 413,790. Patented Oct 29, 1889.v

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" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LURAY O. POWERS, OESOMERVILLEIASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON ASI-I RAIL- WVAYCOMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STORE-SERVICE BUFFER.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,790, datedOctober 29, 1889.

Application filed August 24, 1885. Serial No. 175,191- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LURAY C. POWERS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStore-Service Buffers, of which the following isa specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention is a pneumatic buffer for store-service apparatus,constructed, as fully set forth hereinafter, so as to gradually arrestthe motion of the car without noise or sudden shocks.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section illustrating oneform of buffer in which myinvention may be embodied; Fig. 2, an end viewof the buffer, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa section illustrating another formspecially adapted for wire ways. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 12, Fig. 2.

The essential features of the invention used in connection with astore-service car and track are a tube, case, or cylinder A and a pistonor diaphragm B. The cylinder is suitably arrangedadjacent to the trackand the piston is arranged to be suddenly moved in the cylinder by thecar as it reaches the end of the route, so as to gradually compress theair, the resistance of which gradually stops the car, and also acts toprevent the sudden withdrawal of the piston and rebound of the car.

In Fig. 1 the cylinder A is arranged below or at one side of the track,and the piston B slides back and forth in the cylinder, a contractedport or openingz at the rear end of the cylinder restricting the flow ofthe air, so that the piston cannot move quickly without compressing orexpanding the air. The pistonrod a carries a curved cross-bar b, withwhich engages a spring-catch-handled lever f on the car E, and which isstruck by a bumper d of the car. As the bumper d strikes the cross-bar bthe piston is forced suddenly into the cylinder, and the air therein iscompressed and a portion forced out through the opening .2 until the caris stopped, after which the expansion of the air tends to throw out thepiston and the car; but it cannot rebound, as the catch f looks it tothe bar I). When the car is to be sent to the other end of the line,pressure is applied to the handle of the lever until the piston is drawnout, and the lever is then tilted from connection with the bar and thecar propelled onward.

I prefer when a wire way is used to mount the cylinder and piston on thewire, and it is best to connect the piston to the car, as shown in Fig.3. In this case the cylinder A is open at the front and expanded so asto properly. guide the piston B into the cylinder, which piston iscarried by an arm H projecting from the car, and has a peripheralpacking i. The cylinder has a rear head h, in which is an opening y forthe passage of the wire way, to which the cylinder is secured byset-screws j or otherwise, and to the port .2 is fitted a Valve '0,opening inward.

The small port or passage z is eitherin the head of the cylinder, asshown in Fig. 1, or in the piston B around the wire way, where the waypasses through thepiston, or the latter may be slightly smaller than thebore of the cylinder, so that as the piston enters the cylinder the'airwill escape and allow the piston to move inward, but so slowly as togradually arrest the movement of the car,- but without any sudden shock.The valve '1) closes as the piston enters the cylinder ,but whenpressure is applied to force the car away from the cylinder the valveopens wide and the air can enter the cylinder freely, thereby permittingthe piston to pass quickly outward. Although the air is compressed toresist the first impact of the car, it thereafter escapes until there isno pressure to cause the piston to rebound.

In order that the arm ll may be properly supported and the pistonmaintained in position in respect to the wire, I provide the arm with aguide-eye 2, through which the wire passes.

To render the arrest of the piston more gradual, I in some instancesmake the cylinder slightly tapering and widest at the mouth, so that theair will at first escape freely and then gradually become throttled.

Withoutlimiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, or the application of the bufier to any special form 0 carand track, I claimranged to be moved along the cylinder by the movementof the car to compress the air therein, a port for the continuouslimited escape of the air from the cylinder, and a valve hung to permitthe free entrance of the air on the return movement of the piston,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the Way of a store-Service apparatus, of acylinder mounted thereon and provided with a port and valve,

and a piston moved by the car and adapted to said cylinder, and providedwith a pistonrod extending parallel with the way and carrying across-bar for engaging with the car, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a carprovided with a catch, a Way, and anair-buifer cylinder supported adjacent to the way and provided with apiston, with a piston-rod parallel to the way, a port to permit theescape of air from the back of the piston, and a cross-bar on thepiston-rod adapted to be engaged by the catch, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LU RAY t. POWERS. Witnesses:

CHARLES E. FOSTER, EDWIN (l. GILMAN.

